Magazine for safety razors



Feb. 2, 1943. J. MUROS 2,309,780

MAGAZINE FOR SAFETY RAZORS Filed Sept. 18, 1941 gaaaeea gea'. a ieee MAGAmE FOR SAFETY RAZOBS `loseph Muros, Cambridge, Mass., assignor to Gillette Safety Razor Company, Boston, corporation of Delaware Application September 18, 1941, Serial No. 411,287

Mass., a

l 9 claims. (cl. zoo- 16) 'I'hisinvention consists in a novel vmagazine for safety razor blades. Its field of use is in connection with safety razors of the magazine type in which a supply of sharp fresh blades is maintained in a location adjacent to the razor head and convenient feeding means are provided for delivering one blade at a time into shaving position in the razor as required by the user. While not limited to use in magazine safety razors .of any special type the magazine of my invention may be advantageously employed, for example, in the safety razor described in my co-pending application, Ser. No. 408,945, filed August 30, 1941. An important characteristic of that razor is that a fresh blade may be delivered in shaving position at any time without interrupting the shaving operation and without the necessity for cleaning the razor of lather or shaving cream.

In one aspect my invention consists in asafety razor and magazine so organized that the blade in use is always positively backed up in shaving position and is positively held against retracting movement not only while in shaving msition but; during all stages of the bladefeeding operation. One way of effecting these desired results is to provide the magazine with a blade engaging shoulder which determines the shaving position of the blade in the razor head and also to provide positive means for engaging a blade so held by the shoulder and advancing it from the position so determined in ejecting the used blade. As herein shown a vused blade may -be ejected in'one operation of the feeding means and a new blade is advanced to the positioning shoulder as a subsequent operation of the feeding means in the samepredetermined path.

Another feature of my invention consists in a safety razor and magazine so organized that the feeding means operates to advance one blade at a time in a path limited to one-half the width of the blade, that is to say, the blade is advanced one-half of its width to shaving position and ejected in subsequent movement of one-half its width. vThis cycle of operation permits a very compact safety razor structureand the employment of rapidly acting feeding means, since actual movement of the blade from the magazine is reduced to the minimum distance required for presenting the edge of the blade in shaving position and then for ejecting the used blade by a widthwise movement.

Another feature of my invention consists in a magazine having its top wall out away at its ends so as to expose the opposite ends and end surfaces of the uppermost blade in the stack, thus permitting the blade feeding means to advance the blade by engaging its ends, its end corners or recesses in its ends without in any way contacting or dulling the sharp edge of the blade.

A serious objection to magazine safety razors of this general type in the past has been rusting of the blades within the magazine when wetted in flushing the razor. In accordance with the present invention this objection is obviated by packing the blade magazine witha protecting grease of such composition and consistency as to protect the blades fully against rust and still permit free movement thereof in the magazine and in being delivered from it into shaving position.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are views of a razor in side elevation, Fig. 3 being partially sectioned and all three views showing the magazine inserted in the razor; A

.Fig t is a view in perspective of the magazine;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the maga.- zine showing the blade stack in its initial position;

Fig. 6 is aqview in perspe blade;

Fig. .7 is a cross-sectional view of the magazine showing the uppermost blade in shaving position therein; and

Fig. 8 is a view of the magazine in longitudinal section.

The safety razor and magazine shown in the illustrative embodiment of my invention are designed to employ a. fiat narrow single-edged blade 39 having a deep feeding notch 3|, in each of its unsharpened ends, located substantially symmetrically in the blade and midway between its front and rear edges. The blade itself is best shown in Fig. 6. The magazine about to be described is, therefore, given its specific shape in order to adapt it for handling in the desired manner blades of this particular type but for no other reason. It may be appropriately modified within the scope of the invention to handle other and different types of blades.

As herein shown the safety razor selectedto illustrate the use of the magazine includes in its structure a hollow handle I0 reduced in diameter tive of a single toward the upper end and provided with a solid flange I I which is substantially square in contour. In the bore of the handle is provided a movable spindle I2 extending at its lower end into an enlarged chamber and there provided with a collar I3 against which bears the upper end oi' a compression spring Il. The spring Il is supported at its lower end by a threaded plug, not shown. which closes the lower end of the chamber in the handle and may be reached externally for adjustment.

The head of the razor includes a rectangular metal casing disposed horizontally and having a bottom wall I5 and a top wall I8. The casing constitutes an enclosure for a magazine and is open at one or both ends and continuous in periphery except for a longitudinal exit slot I9 in its front wall Just beneath its top Wall. I'he top wall of the casing I6 is curved downwardlyat its front edge and slightly overhangs the front wall. The front wall is formed integral with a for-- wardly and downwardly extending guard member I1 which underlies the edge of the blade when the razor is organized for shaving and, with the forward edge of the top wall, determines the edge exposure of the blade. The casing is carried by the spindle I2, the upper end of which is threaded to be screwed into the lower wall li of the casing. The casing is, therefore, bodily movable up and down with 'the spindle l2 in respect to the handle and may be pressed downwardly by hand against the compression of the spring Id as will be presently described. The top plate le of the casing is open or cut away at both ends so as to expose the ends of the uppermost blade of the stack contained in a magazine, as will be presently explained. The bottom plate I5 of the casing is provided with a pair of parallel, downwardly-projecting guide ribs i8 extending transversely and interlocking with grooves or slots, not shown, in the blade-feeding member to pre'- vent angular displacement between the two.

The blade-feeding member is not free to partake of the vertical movement of the casing I but is mounted for transverse movement in a predetermined straight line path. It includes in y its structure a bottom plate 2i), a back plate 2i extending upwardly at right angles thereto and two forwardly extending overhanging arms 22. The arms 22 are spaced to embrace between them the top plate I6 of the casing, where the latter is cut away for that purpose, and are deected downwardly at their forward ends to serve as feed dogs or spring pawls 23 adapted to fit into the notches 3i of the blade. These dogs are both notched so that an inner portion of each rests upon the face of the blade while the outer portion is free to enter the notch al but is not permitted to pass entirely through the notch by reason of the partial face-engagement with the blade.

The bottom plate 2li of the blade-feeding member is provided on its lower face with ways 24, arranged to embrace and slide upon the edges of the square flange II of the razor handle. The feeding member is thus held against .angular displacement and may be pushed by the user both -.forwardly and rearwardly in its predetermined path. The bottom plate 20 of the feeding member is also provided with transverse slots or guide grooves to receive the ribs I8 already mentioned as projecting from the bottom of the casing I6.

For convenience an operating lever 25 may be provided which is mounted upon a fulcrum 2B at the back of the handle Ill and arranged at its upper end to engage within a boss 22 projecting from the back plate 2| of the feeding member. In Fig. 3 a leaf spring 2l is shown as introduced between the lever 25 and the handle of the razor. In this case the operator depresses the end of the lever 25 to move the feed member rearwardly from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. i and the spring 21 is adapted to return the parts automatically to their initial position. If the spring 21 is not employed the operator has merely to press the feeding member back into initial position by hand.

The blade magazine herein shown as employed In the combination is rectangular in its shape, having internal dimensions selected to receive the blades 30 and external dimensions making it suitable to t within the casing of the razor. The top wall 42 of the magazine slightly overhangs the front wall thereof -and a blade exit slot ll is provided just beneath it in the front wall. The top wall is cut off at both ends to register with the cut-off top plate of the top wall I6 of the casing and so expose the ends of the uppermost blade in the stack. The top wall 42 is also provided with a longitudinal recess and shoulder I3 in its inner face, the shoulder being properly located positively to back up the blade in its shaving position. The ends of the magazine are closed by end walls d0. The magazine includes also a leaf spring d5 arranged to urge the stack of blades in the magazine at all times upwardly, its line of contact being offset so as to tilt the stack of blades upwardly about the longitudinal shoulder of the top wall 32 and press the uppermost blade of the stack yieldingly against the feed dogs 23. When the magazine is filled with blades the stack is initially downwardly and rearwardly inclined to a slight degree as shown in Fig. 5. 'Ihe two front corners of the magazine are made solid and bevelled to provide ribs 56 adapted to center the blades in the magazine.

As already stated the magazine is completely packed with grease il about the blade stack and the spring 65 so that no water may enter it or reach the blades. At the same time the consistency of the grease is such as not to interfere with the movement of the blade stack or of the individual blades. The blades are thus protected against rusting and the razor may be repeatedly ushed in hot water without danger in this respect.

The magazine is arranged to be inserted endwise in the casing Iii-i6 of the razor head and when this is to be done the casing is depressed, as shown in Fig. 3, so that its upper wall is brought into registration with the horizontal arms 22 of the feeding device. It will be understood that the spring It normally lifts the casing as high as it is permitted by the arms 22 of the -feed member which arms, as already explained, are maintained at all times in definite vertical position and bear on the ends of the uppermost blade in the stack. The fact that the top wall 42 of the magazine overhangs the front wall prevents the magazine from being inserted in the razor except properly with its slotted side in advance. The slot I9 provided by the overhanging wall of the casing will receive the projecting edge of the top wall 42 of the magazine, whereas if the magazine is accidentally reversed, the protecting top wall will strike the rear wall of the casing and prevent introduction of the magazine.

When the magazine hasv once been properly 'presented, however, the action of the spring I4 aeoaveo is such that the uppermost blatle-y 30 in the magazine is lifted into yielding engagement with. the arms 22 of the feed device,l as indicated in Fig. 7. In order to project the blade forwardly from the magazine through the'exit slot i9 and out above the guard Il of the casing the feeding device is first moved rearwardly from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown 'in Fig. 1. In this movement the feeding dogs-23 are retracted sufficiently to permit them to drop into the notches 3l in the opposite ends of the uppermost blade 30. When the feeding device is moved forwardly the dogs 23 advance the uppermost blade about one-half its width,4 from the position shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 7, that is to say, the rear edge of the blade is advanced so lthat it will snap over the longi- ,tudinal shoulder 43 in the inner face of the top wall 42 of the magazine. The shaving edge of the blade is thus advanced above the guard l1 into shaving position as indicated in Fig. 2.

It is securely supported in this position for the shaving operation, being positively backed up by the shoulder in the upper wall 42 of the magazine and pressed upwardly against the overhanging ledge of the top wall I5 of the casing by the action of the spring I4 supplemented by the spring 45.

At the conclusion of the shaving operation the feeding device is again moved rearwardly and the dogs Z3 now dropped behind the rear corners of the blade 3u which is still in shaving position. When the feeding member is advanced vfor A the second time that blade -is ejected forwardly Ifrom its shaving position and discharged from the razor.

It will be seen that each movement of the feeding device advances the uppermost blade forwardly one-half its width. The rst step carries it from the magazine into shaving position and the second step carries it out of the razor. The blades as they are advanced into shaving position are engaged only at their ends by the notches 3l and at no time is the cutting edge oi a blade brought into contact with a blade preceding vit or with any part of the razor. This is a beneficial result achieved by the two-stroke cycle of the feeding device above explained.

It is believed to be broadly new to rely upon the magazine as one of the elements for holding the blade in shaving position. In the construction 'above described the top wall 42 of the magazine is shouldered and utilized `to back up and positively determine the transverse position of the blade, while the front wall of the magazine in co-operation with the arms 22 of the feeding device determines its vertical position. It will be noted also that the shoulder 43, in addition to gauging the shaving position of the blade in the razor and positively maintaining the blade in gauged position, also positively prevents displacement of the uppermost blade during the retracting movement of the feeding fingers 22, which might otherwise tend to dragthe blade backwardly in the razor.

An incidental advantage of the magazine above described is that it is practically non-rellable. A blade cannot be re-inserted horizontally beneath the top wall by reason of the shoulder 43, and the bevelled ribs 46 make it difficult to insert a blade in inclined position. In practice the magazine is filled by the blade manufacturer before the top wall 42 is bent into its final position. Sheet steel or suitable. plastic material in sheet form may be employed as material for the magazine..v v

The fact that the spring d5 isshaped to engage the blade stack at opposite ends and sublstantially opposite to the areas of engagement of the uppermost blade or proper engagement therewith of the feeding dogs 23.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described an illustrative embodiment thereof I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A magazine for safety raz'orblades, having sheet metal walls shaped to provide a rectanguf lar enclosure for a, stack of blades and to provide a blade exit slot, the top wall of the magazine being cut away at bothends to expose the surface of the uppermost blade in the stack and having an internal longitudinal shoulder for positioning a blade advanced from the stack part way out of the magazine through the exit slot.

2. A magazine for safety razor blades. havingl walls of sheet material shaped to provide an elongated enclosure for a stack of blades and to provide a blade exit slot in one side wall, the top wall of the enclosure terminating short of both end walls and thereby exposing end surfaces of the uppermost blade inthe stack.

3. A magazine for safety razor blades, having walls of sheet material shapedto provide an elongated enclosure for a stack of bladesV and to provide a blade exit slot in one side Wall, the top wall having a longitudinal shoulder in its inner face, and a spring in the lmagazine bearing on the blade stack at one side and tending to maintain the stack |tilted over said shoulder.

4. A magazine for safety razor blades, having walls of sheet material shaped to provide an elongated enclosure for a `stack of blades and to provide a blade exit slot at the upper edge of one side wall, the top wall having a projecting shoulder in its inner face directed .toward said slot, and means within the magazine for normally tilting the uppermost blade of the stack so that it slopes upwardly towardv the said slot.

5. A magazine for safety razor blades, having walls of sheet material shaped to provide a rectangular enclosure for a stack of blades and including a front wall having a blade-exit slot at its upper edge, and a top wall overlying the slot and projecting at one edge beyond the said front wall thereby rendering the contour of the magazine unsymmetrical, and terminating short of both end walls thereby exposing end portions of the uppermost blade in the stack.

6. A magazine .for safety razor blades, comprising walls of sheet material providing a rectangular enclosure for a stack of blades and providing an exit slotin one side wall, a top wall having an intermediate, internal, longitudinal shoulder, and a spring within the enclosure bearing on the blade stack at points vbetween the' uppermost blade.

8. A magazine for razors having blade-feedlnz means, comprising' walls of sheet material tormlng an elongated enclosure for a blade stack and providing a blade exit slot at one side, the top wall being cut away at its ends to furnish access for said feeding means to the ends of the uppermost blade in the stack, and a spring in the enclosure exerting upward pressure on .the lowermoet blade in the stack in areas substantially beneath the exposed portions of the uppermost blade.

9. A magazine for safety razor blades, compnslng a walled enclosure having an exit slot in.

JOSEPH MUROS. 

